Bra Fitting 101

*post disclaimer: Daddy, you may find this one a bit embarrassing, if you choose to continue reading, don't say I didn't warn you. ;)

"E?," I said, "as in elephant?"

"Oh yeah, that's French for double D," replied Michelle nonchalantly...

Michelle is the lingerie sales person I recently discovered at Nordstrom at the King of Prussia Mall, a local mall that is a very popular tourist attraction in our area. Many of you have probably heard that most women are walking around wearing the wrong size bra and that we have no idea how to choose the right size. After losing nearly 70 pounds, I was certainly no exception.

I had heard from Oprah (and if Oprah says it, you know it's true) that Nordstrom has an exceptionally good lingerie department and being in dire need of a new sports bra, I decided to check them out on Saturday.

I instantly found Michelle, smiling, friendly and roaming the lingerie department with a tape measure around her neck, looking for her next victim customer. I approached her and told her that I needed a sports bra, and that I probably needed a regular every day bra as well. This wasn't my first bra replacement since I started losing weight but it was definitely time for another one.

Michelle was happy to help, she took me to the fitting room and told me to take off my top but leave my bra on, I quickly learned this was not going to be a shopping trip where modesty was involved. She measured me and promptly announced that I was a 36 D! HUH? I'd been wearing a 38 C and it was big so I thought for sure I'd go down in cup size but evidently, I was wrong. Very wrong. Michelle asked me a few details about the kinds of bras I was looking for and left the fitting room to find them for me.

She returned shortly and... this is where it gets a little weird... helped me put the new bras on! Yes, I had to take of my own bra and she fitted me, literally fitted me into the bras she had brought me. "Bye, bye modesty, see you later,"I thought but it was clear to me that Michelle knew what she was doing and what she was talking about. Phrases like, "bend over and get them in the right place," and "pull all of that breast tissue up and over" were used and soon I was into the sports bra she brought me. It. Felt. Fantastic! I could tell that it was going to work for me with all my work outs and especially help to keep "The Girls" comfortable while running.

Next, we tried on the regular bra that Michelle had chosen. YIKES! It didn't fit, too small in the cup size and let's just say, my cup runneth over in a very unattractive way. I was informed that there was more "tissue" than she realized which I figured out really means, "You must have breast fed for close to two years and now those puppies hang way lower than they should and they're really deceiving because there's not much at the top any more." Michelle hit the lingerie road again and soon came back with a larger cup size. This time it said "E." I had never heard of an E in a bra size but as I stated before, was informed that it was just French for DD. I felt oh, so European as we (yes, we) slipped it on and it fit like a glove. Or should I say, fit like a well-fitted bra.

Now it was the moment I was concerned about. I had already peeked at the $62 price tag on the Wacoal sports bra but quickly rationalized that this was something I was going to wear nearly every day and the chafing, pinching and sore red marks that I was currently sporting on the underside of my chest were not something I needed I to live with. I asked Michelle how much the other bra cost and she told me that it was "only" $49.90... on sale. Again, I realized that I do have to wear a bra every day and decided that I would buy one and see how I like it. It was WAY more money than I'd usually spend on undergarments but in this case, I felt like I had also had instruction in bra fitting, learned what size I truly am and learned that I wasn't putting all my breast tissue in the right place, things I never would have learned without Michelle, it's not something I'll be able to do all the time but it was worth the price to get that knowledge.

I've worn the sports bra a couple times during my runs and truly notice a difference. It feels so comfortable and the every day bra makes me look like I did back in my 20s long before The Son and weight gain/loss came along. Thanks Michelle.

Now I'd like to do something nice for Michelle since she was so nice to me, tit for tat if you will, I asked her if I could post her information on my blog and she was thrilled so... if you're in the area and happen to make a stop to the fabulous King of Prussia Mall, stop in and see Michelle Rouse at Nordstrom's lingerie department. 610-265-6111 ext. 1240 She'll be happy to help you out and tell you why your breast tissue was in the wrong place inside your bra.

So, I guess it's been a week since I last blogged...

Basically, I suck as a blogger these days. So sorry! If I had anyone other than my sister and dad and maybe Darlene and MWP read this blog, I'll be lucky if they're still checking me out.

"What have I been doing?," you ask. Well, besides my normal working out and teaching swimming lessons, I've been selling all my "big girl" and maternity clothes on e-bay. I have some really nice things, mostly from Lane Bryant and I'd like to see if I can get any money for them as opposed to just donating them all to Goodwill. I'm using the money to start buying things that fit me now. I have a very limited wardrobe but I'm still hesitant to buy since I will be losing at least 30 more pounds.

We did go to the mall yesterday and I got a few things. Two new bras that I paid WAY too much for but I managed to get a great story for the blog that I'll be writing about this week and I also bought a couple of long sleeved t-shirts from Old Navy that should last me for a while, even as I continue to lose. I have a good pair of jeans, a casual pair of Levi's jeans that I bought at Goodwill and a pair of black pants that fit and are on the tighter side so they should continue to fit for a while and of course, I have the Talbots items I recently bought at Goodwill. I need a few pieces to go with them like a nice basic white blouse. I have a couple of dresses too. (I LOVE dresses.) I'm finding it difficult to shop and I never thought I'd say that. Part of it is that I'm on a tight budget and part of it is that I have nothing in my wardrobe except the aforementioned items so there's really nothing to build on if that makes any sense. I don't want to buy much because I will be getting smaller and don't want to waste money so I guess for now, I'll just stick to my limited wardrobe and items that will definitely fit me for a while. Perhaps I'll have another stroke of good luck next time I hit the Goodwill.

I've been trying things on in the stores and I'm sure the fitting room people hate me because I'm not actually buying anything. I just want to know what size I am. I've also realized it's amazing the difference in the amount of clothing available to a regular-size woman as opposed to a plus-size woman. Back in January, I was around a size 22 maybe an 18/20 on the top depending on the shirt. Now I have realized that I'm a 14! I have some pants that fit that are a 12 and my 16s are getting big so the average right now and what seems to be fitting me pretty much in each store is a 14 in pants, and a Large or Medium in tops. I'm thrilled with that but ultimately, I'd like to be around an 8 or a 10. I can't let myself forget that I still have what is considered a BMI of an "overweight" person.

Today is The Husband's birthday and I'm making a "Cooking Light" recipe for his dinner, Bucatini with Mushrooms. I am in LOVE with mushrooms these days. I don't know if it's because we live in Mushroom Land and they're exceptionally good here but I simply can't get enough of them. I am SO excited to try this recipe. If it's good, I'll do an additional post about it. I must admit that even though it's in "Cooking Light" magazine, it's not as light as I'd normally like but it seems like a nice treat for The Husband so I've eaten a small lunch in preparation for decadence. ;) On that note, I'm off to the grocery store. I have an interesting post planned on some diet controversy as well this week. Let's hope those plans actually come to fruition and I find the time to blog. Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

I'm beginning to think...

That I might just be too old for this look:

My mom always used to tell me that when I wear my hair up or back in an elastic, that I should cover it up. It's something that always stuck with me and therefore, I don't even go to the gym with a plain elastic band in my hair...honestly, I don't. I always use a ribbon or some kind of cute hair accessory.  Sometimes I wrap the hair around the pony tail and that looks really cute and stylish (at least IMO) but my hair is very silky and smooth and it doesn't stay neat looking all day because the elastic just slips out over time. I found hair elastics with rubber grips on them that stay put but then, my hair wrap, looks messy and doesn't cover it. So my issue is, am I too old, at 38, to be wearing a bow in my hair?  I like the way it looks  and I try not to make it a huge, big bow, just a cute bow to cover the hair elastic. Since I am a major ribbon whore and use it for my crafting, I have just about any kind of ribbon that I need to coordinate with an outfit so it always matches. I only do it on days that I'm dressed casual and just hanging out. I know it's silly and when I see another person with an uncovered hair rubber band, it doesn't really bother me (Ok, maybe a little) but I'm hoping people don't think I look like some old lady trying to be cute. It just makes me happy and I don't think that's so wrong... feel free to comment if you like, I can take it.